Gurdwara Designs

[puzzled]

gurdwara lakhpat in gujarat

 

[puzzled]

old gurdwara is nepal

[TejS]

On 6/14/2018 at 1:33 AM, Guest jigsaw_puzzled_singh said:

Arabic architecture is not the correct term to use. Islamic Architecture is. 

They are synonymous as I have mentioned before.

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No the Islamic domes are not the same as the ones you "see all the time" on Gurdwaras. Best seen from the air, Sikh domes are mostly (not always - given the wide variety of Sikh architectural styles - but mostly) inverted tulips. 99% of the time the  difference between a Sikh dome and an Islamic one is very obvious. Going back to the issue of influence and in reference to your other thread about 'intelligence' true intelligence was within our Gurus. True gyan. Never mind the meaningless ad totally unconnected relatively late erection of the temple rock dome in Jeruselum our Gurus understood the much older Hindu science behind the Dome. That much older science specified the dimensions, shape and spiritual energy of the dome with regards to sound therapy and spiritual healing. So again, as I said in my opening message to this thread, we shouldn't get too hung up on 'Islamic' influences. Everybody and everything is influenced by other things....not just Islamic.

Peaked domes were not present on any building prior to the Islamic invasion of South Asia. The Hindu dome you're ignorantly referring to is actually the Buddhist stupa, and our Gurudwara domes look nothing like it:

 

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Well I must say I'm a little surprised that you would even think I didn't know that the Byzantine empire also covered the whole of the middle east and even more surprised that you think I wouldn't say what I said. Everything is influenced by other things. Everything. Nothing appears in isolation. Neither we nor anybody else just suddenly dropped out of the sky one day. All people are connected. Here in London, we are surrounded by all architectural styles, including some beautiful byzantine cathedrals. Everything is connected. No one thing defines anything.

London is a city founded by the Romans, and therefore the British have built their architecture on that foundation. Byzantine cathedrals are variants of Roman architecture and therefore not foreign to them as it would be to us. The British, the Europeans and even the Americans have through their architecture defined that they are a continuation of European culture and civilization that started off in Ancient Greece. That is their definition. What is our definition? That we are a continuation of Arabs, Persians, Byzantines? I sincerely hope you're not suggesting that with your "everything is connected" motto. 

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Did you leave out the eastern Christian tradition on purpose ? It was there long before Islam was even invented so why leave it out whn it in many ways influenced the Islamic style ?  Remember that photo from my first message of that white coloured orthodox church ? When you see that does it not remind you in some way of the Akal Takht ?  This is what connects all of us in so many ways. As I stated in my very first message : don't get too hung up on the Islamic side of things for it is just one of many influences.

I think it's safe to say that having mentioned Byzantium, I made it clear I was talking about the Christian Empire.

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I've seen your thread. It's a good one and we need more like it here on this forum.  Listen though, we do share heritage with everyone. Denying that shared heritage is in my mind 'unintelligent' whereas embracing it goes some way towards 'intelligence'.  What is 'intelligence' anyway ? I have a degree, 2 masters and twice abandoned doctorates because I get bored an yet I have a call a man in to paste my wallpaper and need help to lay wooden flooring. That makes me very VERY unintelligent. I know history and can quote Descartes and the great stoics and yet I have to call a man in whenever my boiler's water pressure goes wrong. That makes me very VERY stupid. I like the arts, classical music , visit galleries and have spent half my life in museums and lectures and yet I don't know how to move my body in motion in happiness (dance). That makes me incredibly stupid. Each of us, including you, is incredibly stupid. You, for implying in your thread that you are the intelligent one and others are unintelligent are perhaps as stupid as I. Perhaps, those with the skills to survive are the true intelligent ones ? Perhaps those without any schooling that left Punjab knowing they had to provide for their families and so made the dangerous trek through central Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and then finally arriving in the UK by clinging to the bottom of a truck for 8 hours are the true intelligent ones ? When one can do that (i.e have enough intelligence to know how to survive) and the professor can't change a fuse or tape up faulty electrical wiring who out of these is the true intelligent one ?

Shared heritage with everyone? Oh yes, the whole word is one big happy family. Only a Sikh stands with a Sikh, never Hindu or Muslim or Jew. That should be your only heritage. I'm not telling you to hate other people, as that would be against Sikhi, but I'm telling you to identify who your kin is. 

How about we actually cultivate our own culture first and then we can argue over the definition of intelligence, for now consider it to mean development in the science and arts - which we Sikhs are severely lacking in.

I did not once in my thread imply that I was more intelligent than anyone on this forum or in our community. I'm in fact looking for people on here to contribute their ideas and help me understand and learn why we as a collective community are not intellectual, and I'm included in that community as well. I clearly don't have the answer, hence me asking. But you'll draw the kind of meaning you want, so continue on.

 

[TejS]

3 hours ago, puzzled said:

 

 

Blasphemy!

[Guest jigsaw_puzzled _sing]

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They are synonymous as I have mentioned before.

Yes Tej, You do keep mentioning it. And you're a fool for not listening. I'll say it again.....if you stand up in a conference of historians and architects and repeatedly refer to islamic architecture as 'arabic' architecture it will not belong before almost everyone in the room forms an opinion that you are a fool.

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Peaked domes were not present on any building prior to the Islamic invasion of South Asia. The Hindu dome you're ignorantly referring to is actually the Buddhist stupa, and our Gurudwara domes look nothing like it:

I'm not sure who you've been having conversations about regarding 'peaked' domes but it certainly wasn't me so no idea what on earth you are talking about. And secondly, more importantly, you have got to be the most ignorant fake ever if you think you can willy nilly throw random 'Bhuddist stupas' into a conversation about the sacred Hindu science regarding the spiritual power of a dome. I've noticed how you work Tejs. You deliberately throw in a random remark about 'bhuddist stupas' even though nobody ever referred to them and then you finish the sentence with a totally meaningless "and our Gurdwara domes look nothing like them" even though you were the only one here that ever mentioned them.

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I think it's safe to say that having mentioned Byzantium, I made it clear I was talking about the Christian Empire

I see what you're doing Tej. Very clever. You're not really talking to me here. You're speaking to the ignorant masses who will think what you said there makes sense when both you and I know that in a conversation about the influence of eastern orthodox architecture upon the Punjab landscape the holy roman byzantium christian tradition is an influencer of it but it is not actually it. If you're suggesting it is....then surely we will wake up tomorrow morning realising that the whole eastern orthodox vs roman schism within christianity is not real....it was just a bad dream.

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Shared heritage with everyone? Oh yes, the whole word is one big happy family. Only a Sikh stands with a Sikh, never Hindu or Muslim or Jew. That should be your only heritage. I'm not telling you to hate other people, as that would be against Sikhi, but I'm telling you to identify who your kin is. 

I appreciate and understand where you're coming from Tej. In all honesty, I used to think like that but, once you have children and they get closer to adulthood things begin to change....thinking begins to change. As you see your kids about to seriously enter the big wide world you start to live through their eyes and you try and shape and mould their souls in the right direction. My kids, since they were very little, were taught by me to often close their eyes and try and tune into their heartbeat in silence. Once they were in tune with it I told them that heartbeat is what connects them to all mankind. Respect all mankind. Never hurt mankind because there is a spiritual connection. I am so happy to say that my children value that lesson. They feel empathy with all mankind regardless of race or creed. As I said in my message at the top of this page, in terms of what I think Sikh architecture ought to be, our heritage and culture is fluid. It changes over geographical boundaries and I feel those unique national characteristics should shape what Sikh architecture is. In other words, there should not be one Sikh architecture. In each diaspora, it should take on unique cultural and historical aspects. For example, as I stated, the UK Sikh architecture should in some way encompass the character of previous industrial factories and the Canadian Sikh architecture style should encompass, in some shape or form, timber.  I'm not an architect and I'm not a builder. I'm merely articulating my thoughts on what essentially this thread was about.....i.e. our individual thoughts on what sikh architecture should be. There is nothing there that should have caused anyone to see an excuse for abuse and anger but one or 2 (including yourself) did for some reason. It's not too late to take the conversation back on track and let you, and anyone else, share their thoughts, i.e. Is there a Sikh Architecture ? If so, what do you think it is ?

[Preeet]

Sikh Temple in Nepal Desh, notice the Dwarpala Art.

[Guest jigsaw_puzzled_singh]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 6:04 PM, puzzled said:

I find these old abandoned Gurdware in pakistan very beautiful 

 

These buildings are beautiful yet simple and look nothing like mosques. They have so much character and charm 

Modern day gurdwara buildings look dull and repetitive compared to these buildings  

Thank you Puzzled and Preet for your amazing pics of Gurdwaras and your gallant attempts to keep this thread on track.

 

You’re right Puzzled, there are some amazing Gurdwara buildings in Pakistan. My personal favourites are Rori Sahib for its aesthetic beauty and Panja Sahib for its layout

 

 

 

 

This Gurdwara in Sindh in Pakistan is interesting, because the sangat is entirely Nanakpanthi Hindu Sindhis:

 

 

The proposal for Northampton look interesting. At first sight it resembles a Police precinct / HQ but it kinda grows on me after a while :

 

 

The Gurdwaras in Malaysia and Indonesia do often seem a bit overly influenced by the local Islam in their use of the domes and minaret  style towers and columns.

 

 

I love this building so much (Kericho, Kenya) simply because it my Guru’s home but I won’t lie to you – the fact that they didn’t care that the staircase would not be symmetrically in the middle of the building does make me very very upset !

 

 

 

Gravesend, is of course an acknowledged masterpiece. It will stand the test of time. Havelock Road, Southall most certainly will not. Gravesend interior:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some nice aerial shots:

Bedford

 

SanJose

 

Southall

 

The Penang Gurdwara doesn’t looks very non-descript from the ground ...in contrast to what it looks like from the air:

 

 

 

While on the subject of aerial shots. This Hindu Temple in Tamil Nadu is just so beautiful on so many levels. Perfection personified !

 

Damdama Sahib almost achieved that symmetrical perfection. Almost. I think it tells us alot about our historical unappreciation of the arts that when completing the final stages of this amazingly beautiful complex at Damdama the very simple thought of symmetry, right at the end, went out of the window:

 

Hazur sahib

 

 

Sri Parivar Vachora, Ropar

 

 

 

Leamington

 

Craigeburn, new zealand:

 

 

Lahore

 

 

 

 

Glasgow, Scotland

 

 

 

Jalandhar, Bulandpuri Sahib

 

Perth , Australia

 

 

Random Pics

 

Montreal, Canada

 

 

Dubai

 

 

Central Gurdwara, Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

 

Kenya

 

Fiji

 

Trinidad and Tobago

 

Bombay (compare the use of colours here to the simplicity of neutral white in the Singapore Gurdwara)

 

Manikaran

 

 

 

Old Historic Abbortsford Gurdwara, BC

 

 

The original paldi Gurdwara from 1917 in Duncan, Vancouver island

 

 

 

And finally, from a Sikh Architecture point of view, quite possibly the most interesting. Not the most beautiful, but this historic Gurdwara in South India just doesn’t fit the stereotype or norm. Its very interesting. Jhira Sahib, Kanataka

 

 

[puzzled]

17 hours ago, TejS said:

Blasphemy!

LOL    I think thats supposed to be Guru Nanak Ji, Guru ji visited this place during his travels 

[puzzled]

Gurdwara Darshan Deori Amritsar, The gurdwara itself seems just a little gate with a room on top. Think it was built during the Sikh empire

The artwork inside is beautiful 

[Guest jigsaw_puzzled_singh]

5 minutes ago, puzzled said:

Gurdwara Darshan Deori Amritsar, The gurdwara itself seems just a little gate with a room on top. Think it was built during the Sikh empire

The artwork inside is beautiful 

Wow !!  Thank you for that Puzzled. That really is beautifull.  It's actually quite interesting isn't it how Amritsar, even though it was a major stop along the old silk route and so probably had a lot of contact with Chinese tile traders etc adopted the Indian tradition of paint rather than tiling ?  Regardless, it doesn't detract from it's beauty. Amazing photo..Thanks.